How has that not dropped for Shiho Kuwaki?

The world number 46 plays a decent enough recovery after flying the sixth green but her mid-range birdie putt appears to float over the cup on the sixth.

Haeran Ryu gives off a huge smile as she saves her par from around 10 feet.

Felicity Johnson
Two-time winner on the Ladies' European Tour on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

All the chasers know the leader has not been in this position before so they need to make a run.

But this is not a golf course that is easy to be aggressive on because the bunkers are so well placed.

Yealimi Noh will take pars between here and the clubhouse every hole she can.

Yealimi Noh misses a puttable birdie chance at the fifth as a chance to go five shots clear of the pack goes begging.

What hopes of those a little further back in the field today?

Well, the biggest final-round comeback is from four strokes behind. This has been achieved twice, by Sherri Steinhauer in 1998 at Royal Lytham & St Annes and Se Ri Pak at Sunningdale in 2001

Only two of the last 10 Open winners have not been in the lead or joint-lead after the third round (Georgia Hall 2018 – one stroke behind the leader; Lydia Ko 2024 – three strokes behind).

A total of 27 of the 49 Open champions have been in the lead or joint-lead after the third round.

These dropped shots are infectious as even Sara Kouskova all the way up at the 17th has slipped back.

Briefly in a share of second after an outstanding round, her momentum has been properly checked by a double bogey at the penultimate hole.

One under par seems a long way back.

Image source, Getty Images

Lottie Woad has been fairly solid since an early bogey.

She chips out of the bunker at the seventh and leaves herself a simple putt for a birdie which she duly sinks.

Woad back to three under and a share of second place.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent on BBC Radio 5 Live at Royal Lytham

I think that is basically that for Charley Hull.

She hasn’t taken advantage of the par fives this week and that is a very costly double bogey.

Image source, Getty Images

Groans follow applause on the seventh as Charley Hull's third out of a bunker that looks as steep as the face of Blackpool Tower splashes out but then comes up short of the dance floor and possibly finds another sand trap.

Hull is not in the sand but rather a slight swale with a putt for birdie but she can't quite work her ball up the slope and it tumbles off the green. Her next attempt just holds but she now has a tough bogey putt and ends up frittering another shot away.

Surely she is too far back now?

There's also a bogey for Lydia Ko. This duo are playing themselves out of things.

Just hold your nerve, Yealimi Noh - everyone else is dropping away.

Lucy Li briefly got within one not too long ago but is now five back after making a real mess at the fifth.

A brutal triple bogey perhaps ends her challenge.

Groans follow applause on the seventh as Charley Hull's third out of a bunker that looks as steep as the face of Blackpool Tower splashes out but then comes up short of the dance floor and possibly finds another sand trap.

Felicity Johnson
Two-time winner on the Ladies' European Tour on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Image source, Getty Images

Yealimi Noh will be channeling her inner positivity.

This week, she's found a swing that has clicked. Her and her caddie have come up with a great plan to avoid the bunkers, her short game has saved her when she's missed the greens.

She'll be rolling with the momentum.

Haeran Ryu is in the sand again! The South Kprean decides she is a little too close to the back edge of the bunker to get a decent back swing so deliberately chips knocks her ball a few feet into the middle of the sand trap to provide an escape route with her next shot.

She has done that three times this week and it's going to cost her at least one stroke. In fact make that two.

Anyone else not having that approach?

Shiho Kuwaki, who is putting for a birdie also ends up dropping a stroke. A shocker of a hole.

Image source, Getty Images

Oh dear, didn't see that coming from Lucy Li. A clumsily-played fourth hole culminates in a missed par putt from about five feet.

That'll knock her back to -5 and three shots off the lead.

Image source, Getty Images

A sublime shot out the sand from Yealimi Noh at the fourth hole.

The American deftly chips to within three feet of the flag to leave herself a straightforward putt from three feet for par.

Esther Henseleit, meanwhile, drops a shot.

Sara Kouskova has made another birdie at the 15th.

Three straight birdies on the back nine has catapulted her to -3 for the tournament and leapfrogged a whole host of the world's best.

She's also just gone close to another birdie at 16.

Two holes to go and she looks set to post a target.

As Charley Hull misses a great chance to roll in her third birdie of a rollercoaster final round so far, here's how she got things going straight away at the par-three first.

Oh Charley.

Charley Hull was in prime position off the tee but takes three with her putter, so can't capitlalise on her fabulous drive and approach.

A decent chance for at least a birdie gone.

Shiho Kuwaki coughs up a shot on the fourth to slip four strokes off the lead. The 23-year-old looks a tad frustrated with that although she left herself a lot to do with a putt from 20 feet or so.

Haeran Ryu also looks a little peeved as she fails to dunk a birdie putt in from mid range. Not for the first time today, that looks to be a slight misread.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Don't just take our word for it about how good this final round is shaping up to be.

Tap 'Listen live' at the top of this page to hear full commentary from Royal Lytham alongside our text coverage.

It's not a birdie for Lucy Li at the third but a nerveless par keeps her well in touch.

As for Jeeno Thitikul, I was bullish about her prospects before the round. Bogey-par-double bogey start surely puts her too far back, even at this early stage.